Biking haiku #s 6-7-8

#6


bicycle dew
drips from pores
a summer day

#7

bike footprints
skid on clay
a mountain glen

#8

daring leaps
off mountain crags
knobby rubber

3/18/05--Friday's 5 minute poem

Marching On

The ides of March
Have passed us by,
St. Patrick's too,
I would not lie!

March's lion roared,
And wet the sky,
Let's hope the lamb,
Ends March all dry!

Biking haiku # 5

sexy on wheels
shapely legs spin
single track heavan

Biking Haiku # 3&4

#3

hard-rock thighs
chained gears churn
high windy roads

#4

peloton at speed
flashing colors blurred
saturday a.m.

3/11/05--Friday's 5 minute poem--Haiku for Health

swells crest at swami's
frothy longboards cascade
black clad ho-dads

3/04/05--Fridays 5 min poem--a Haiku

soft mists fall on roads
cars crawl toward dusky skies
whimpers at week's end

Saturday in L.A.--Part II--Museum of Natural History

It had been awhile since we had been to Exposition Park. On the way we wanted to drive by the new Walt Disney Concert Hall at the Music Center, now home to the L.A. Philharmonic, so we decided to drive through the downtown area rather than jumping back on the Harbor freeway and heading south. We drove past what is probably the most famous city hall in the U.S.. I still remember that old 50's TV program called "Mr. District Attorney" and remember that the city hall was front and center in the credits. When it was built it was probably the tallest building in the L.A. skyline. Today it sits in a forest of newer taller buildings, but is still a distinctive and a powerful image of L.A.

The new Disney Hall is an ultra modern design by Frank Gehry, the Los Angeles architect who also designed the spectacular Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The "Disney" is also a spectacular building, but the location lacks the appropriate "setting" to really appreciate it as a work of art. It sits across from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and is surrounded with streets and buildings--an island in a sea of cement!! How nice it would have been to have space for a large plaza or park as a grand entry area to the site and building. But I guess space is a problem in the middle of downtown L.A.!

We drove around it and said wow, but didn't stop.

We headed south through the downtown area. Since it was Saturday, there wasn't much traffic. Considering all the streets we could have picked, we managed to pick one that had work going on, and one of the lanes was coned off. I didn't see anyone working on anything, but there were some trucks parked in a couple spots indicating the intent to repair something. Our main competition for the single lane were buses as they darted through the cones making their stops. None of us were sure exactly how to get to Exposition Park from where we were. All we knew was that we were headed in the right direction. When I came to Olympic Blvd, I decided that since Exposition Park was built for the 1930's Olympics, the Blvd had to lead us there, and made a right turn going west. We passed near the location where Nancy had worked as a designer back in the 1970's and she wanted to detour to see if the building was still there as she remembered it. It was right near the Transamerica Tower. A quick left and we were driving by the Staples Center, where the Lakers and Clippers shoot hoops, with the Convention center in the background. We found her old one story office building. Most of it was still there, although some of it had been demolished to make a parking lot. The design firm had moved long ago.

We headed west again on Olympic, through Korea town with all its Korean signage, and up to Alvarado with it's Black/Mexican/Korean mix. I knew that we needed to be south of I-10 which was still to the south, so that's the direction I headed. The neighborhood was busier than downtown and traffic was stop and go, but we soon saw I-10. A block south of that was the USC Campus. A block south of that was Exposition Park and the Coliseum.

Our target for the afternoon was the Museum of Natural History, which was like going to a zoo honoring dead animals and civilizations. It is housed in a great classically styled building just north of the Coliseum, and was a favorite of both Bert and Nancy when they were children.
I got a senior discount on my ticket, and we all put the little orange stickers on our chests showing we were paid up, and headed out to the exhibit areas. Burt, Nancy, and Kris wanted to start with the Mammals of North America Exhibit, which has been there forever. I walked around and was done looking about the time there were at the second diarama, so I decided to head out on my own and let them do their own thing. I cruised the dinosours, the bird exhibits, the insects, the Indians and South American pre-Columbians, The marine/ocean exhibit, and the African Mammal diaramas. There was a discovery center filled with 2-7 year olds making all kinds of things and sitting on the floor being "lectured" by a curater with real snakes in a show and tell session. It was a real "active" place on this Saturday afternoon.

When I re-emerged into the area near the gift shop, there was Nancy. They still had things to see and Burt and Kris were "shopping". I told her I was going to be sitting outside when they were done, so found a perch next to the entrance and plopped myself down.

There was a wide grassy area in front of the building,( it was a park!) and there was a spirited soccer game going on, with some spectators on the sideline. These were older boys or young men who were quite proficient, and I followed the ball up and down the field until a goal was scored on the south end of the field by a kick from near the sideline. A great shot! The game broke up after that!

A young Asian family came out of the museum. He was toting a camera, and she was toting two young boys, one about 4 and another about 2 years old. They sat on the steps in front of me. She pulled a couple of oranges out of her bag, and I watched as he peeled one and she the other. He ate one slice by slice, and then got his camera out and walked about 20 ft away to take some pictures while she fed slices to the boys. They were not speaking English, so I wondered if they were tourists, or were one of many families who were transferred to L.A. for a "tour of duty" working for an Asian based company. One thing for sure, they liked California oranges! It was an international family day at the museum! Dinasaurs speak all languages!

Nancy didn't find the postcard she was looking for in the gift shop. It was close to the 5 pm closing when they came out the door and saw me sitting off to the side, an old guy on a bench!! The old Mercedes made it home in time for a bottle of cheap wine from Trader Joes, and a take- out pizza from Olyo's. We called our son Matt by cell phone on the way to ensure him that we would have food for him. He was glad to see us!! So was the cat!

Saturday in L.A.--Part One--Alvera Street

Last Saturday Nancy and I drove up to the big city, L.A. to visit her brother Bert and his wife Kris. We usually just see them at family gatherings, and Nancy thought it would be great if we drove up to spent a day together and play tourist. We stopped at Pipe's cafe in Cardiff at about 9 am to stock up on caffiene for the trip, and we were off! The old Mercedes cruised along at 75 most of the way on an open freeway, so we made good time and were in Hawthorne just before 11 am.

After picking them up at their apartment in Hawthorne, our first stop of the day was to be lunch and shopping at Alvera street in the Spanish/Mexican historical center of L.A.. It had been 18 years since we had lived in the L.A. area, and while we remembered all the great places around town, we always didn't remember the most direct route to where they were, so when we got off the Harbor freeway downtown, we were almost amazed to find that we had picked the right exit, and were just a block or so from the central plaza in the historical district. We found parking near the plaza just across the street from the old Pio Pico hotel, which was now used as a historical society museum, and headed for Bert's favorite taco stand on Alvera Street.

It is one of those places which hasn't changed much in the last 30 years. Bert and Nancy's parents always took them there on outings when they were kids. It was almost like going on a trip to Mexico. Although the "street" is only about a half block long, it is packed with colorful shops and restaurants and has always reminded me of the touristy alleys in the "Rosa" district of Tijuana.

It seems to exist only for the tourists! But even for those who live in L.A., a visit now and then is fun! Most of the stuff in the shops is leather goods made in Mexico, with lots of colorful serapes, blankets, and trinkets that get the kids all excited.

Our first stop had to take care of the growls and give us a blood sugar bounce before attacking the shopping stalls. So we stood in line at Juanita's taco shop and waited for a table. When one opened up, Nancy made a beeline for it, but was cut off at the aisle by an older lady who had just arrived. Nancy had a word, and she stepped aside! When it comes to Mexican food, get out of Nancy's way!! We all ordered combination plates, which were delivered within about 5 minutos.

Nancy says the tacos and taquitos on Alvera Street are the best because they crisp them up a bit in hot lard! They were crispy, and I'm sure they were lardy too! It seemed like it only took about 5 minutes for us all to down the tacos and beans, and the small bit of salad which made up the "combo"!! Just what they like at restaurant with only 5-6 tables, fast turnover!!

As we walked down to the end of the street after our quick but tasty lunch, we passed Nancy's favorite taquito stand. She had been telling me about the taquitos there all week, so as we walked by, I suggested that she should order a small plate there or she would regret it! So she and Bert each had a chaser of taquitos swimming in green chile sauce. Kris and I just stood by while they overate!

Now to shopping!!

Kris bought a nice bag to carry her books and "stuff", and Bert bought a small leather coin purse. Nancy saw some things she liked, but knew she didn't really need, so passed on them.
While all this shopping was going on, I spent time just sitting in the sun watching all the people saunter by. I am always amazed at all the different shapes, sizes and colors that people come in!
Sitting on a bench on Alvera street on a Saturday is like going to a free form play, with the street as a stage, and an international cast that ever changes.

I sat on a ledge next to a shop which sold mostly tourist trinkets. There was a big basket of wooden articulated snakes right next to me, painted only as they would be in Mexico! One five year old boy came up to me and asked how much they were. I told him I would sell him one for a quarter!! His dad was right behind him, and of course, he knew I was not the one his son should be talking with, and grabbed him by the hand to remove him from the temptation provided by the snake! We shared a smile! I do think he would have bought one for a quarter, though. I thought that was about what they were worth!

Older people shuffled by, some looked very frail, and I thought that they must be on a tour bus from somewhere out of town, and just had to see as much as they could in the time they had left on this earth. I wondered if they had bought a colorful shirt that said Los Angelos on it, or a big straw sombrero with Mexico stitched on the brim as reminders of the fun they had on their visit.

To the kiddie set running between the small shops on the street, it must have looked and felt like a carnival filled with colorful prizes for knocking down a bottle with a ball, or popping a balloon with a dart. There were no games to play, but the prizes were all there to be purchased!
And at the end of the street near the plaza there was a "fake" donkey on which to sit to have your picture taken with a sombrero jauntily flopped on top of your head!

Roaming the restaurants on the street were two small mariachi groups who sang outside the patios and then passed the hat. They looked experienced but not prosperous! On a good day they must have made a few hundred dollars to share. They got a small contribution from me!

As we escaped from the shops and entered the plaza area, there was a girl in a clown costume selling balloons just across from the fake donkey, and an amplified trio of musicians was about to start a small concert and were setting up their equipment and microphones. It was almost 2 pm but looked to be alot of action ahead for the rest of the afternoon and evening at Old Los Angeles on Alvera Street.

A large banner which hung on the old hotel showed a fully bearded Pio Pico dressed in a wainscoat and fancy tie. He had welcomed us when we came in, and now he bade us adios as we walked back to the car to head for our next adventure at Exposition Park.

Haiku--#s 1,2,&3

Bicycle magazine has a haiku contest going on for the next couple of months. First prize is a choice of bicycles up to $4999 in their March issue. Wow! what a great way to get started with the Zen of Ku! There is no limit on the number of Kus which can be entered by any individual. So I have entered a couple:

Bike Haiku #1:

Bicycle spokes
taut sinews spin
black spandex

Bike Haiku # 2:

Puffs of breath
leggings warming
frosty morns

And Haiku for lovers #1:

Love croaks aloud
spring ripples widen
lilies in bloom

02/25/05--Friday's 5 minute poem--Weeklies

weeklies

friday p.m.,
a time to reflect,
on five days past,
and what to expect,
with tommorows.

goals marked done,
or rolled over in pain,
in a box next week,
to attempt once again,
or face sorrows.

It is I! 

Friday's 5 minute poem-2/18/04

rainy rays

the sun is gone,
grey clouds scud by,
all moisture laden,
a restless sky!

a dull bleak friday,
does not bode well,
that a 3 day weekend,
will turn out swell!

The Greatest Generation, passing--a poem.

Those of us born in the 1940's and 50's have parents who were part of the "Greatest Generation". They were born in the 1920's or early 30's, were raised during the great depression, and in their late teens and early 20's left farms and family homes to fight a great war in foreign lands from Burma to Africa to Europe. It was the last real World War.

The greatest generation is dying off. Every war baby and post war boomer baby is losing their parental tie to an era unique in its violence and insanity, and to the generation who recovered from the insanity in the world and continued to develop and keep the ideals on which America was founded.

My father was a teenager of 19 when he left his family's farm and entered the army, ultimately ending up in Europe with the 7th Armored division as it pushed across France into Germany. He was a G.I. like many, on the front lines, wounded twice, decorated, and returned home a changed man, so my mother said. I never heard him talk of any of his War experiences. It was not something that many of his generation would share with anyone who had not been there. He died at 68, rather young I think! He would have been 82 last month.

Recently someone I work with told me through tears that her father had just died at 85 years of age. She wondered if I could write something for her for the memorial service. Thinking of my father, I told her that he had led a full life to reach 85. I asked her to take a few minutes and write something about him that best described him as her father. What did he do in life and what were her best memories of him?

She gave me her thoughts, and as I read them, she described an experience similar to my father's and, for that matter, all father's who were part of that generation who fought in WWII.

Her father had flown with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China. He made it through the war, came home, got a job, married, and had 5 children who he loaded in the car and took to the beach in Florida on vacation every year. To keep them occupied in the car, he substituted funny lyrics to popular songs and gave each of the 5 children their own verse to sing as they traveled the road south to Florida.

His life's story could be written with a blank for the name that could be filled in with the name of the father of many children born of that great generation. As I wrote a poem in his memory, tears came to my eyes. It was also a poem to the memory of my father who died 14 years ago.


To the memory of a father in the
"Greatest Generation"


Our Hero!


A life lived,
An epitome,
Of the "greatest generation".

When a youth,
Under fire,
Flew tigers, to save the world.

An experience,
Never shared,
With those who were not there.

A hero,
Among many,
Returned home to forget sadness.

To move on to tomorrow.



Elation!
Optimism!
Hard Work!
Goodness!
Love!
Faith!
Family!



Our Hero!


A life lived,
For others,
His family and friends.

So much to give,
Whose gifts,
Were never exchanged.

His universe,
A bright star,
with five twinkles from his eye.

Who grew,
To be stars,
In their own right.


To shine bright in his heaven!


Our hero!


Has gone on to tomorrow!


Mark Worden
February 17, 2005

Rain!

The most notable happening so far this year has been rain! Our historical average annual rainfall in the San Diego area has been just over 9 inches annually. We have a semi desert climate, thus the 3 million people around here depend on a series of reservoirs storing water from the Colorado River and from the California aqueduct, as well as some run off from our local mountain ranges.

The last 5 years have been drought years throughout much of California and the West, with rainfall in San Diego averaging around 4 inches each of those years. People worry about water! We have watched the water level in the the local storage "lakes" drop very low to less than half of their capacity. Lake Hodges, a few miles to the east of Encinitas in Escondido, and which depends on local runoff, had dwindled to about 20% of its normal surface area. What once was a great recreational and fishing lake had become inaccessable to boats. The launch ramp was hundreds of yards from the waters edge. A forest of trees had grown up within the normal lake bed over the last 5-6 years. There had been talk of allocating a few hundred thousand dollars to a project to remove those trees, because there is a project planned to connect the lake to the network that supplies other reservoirs to insure that lake levels could be maintained in the future.

Then in January and February the rains came. Some of the storms came from the north and were cold and stormy. Some came from the South and were warm and steady. In the last couple of months over 20 inches has come down, and there is more on the way this weekend. It is likely that we may get three times our average annual 9 inches of rain this year. (And 6 times last year!)

Lake Hodges is full again and is almost overflowing the dam. There are tree tops sticking out of the lake over a wide area. That might be good for the bass, but makes for a messy lake, and for a poor source of drinking water.

With many areas of high density population, when Southern California gets lot of rain strange things happen. Roads become slick due to a buildup of oil residue on the pavement. The incidents of fender benders goes way up. That is hard to understand if you are from a place where it rains and snows often, and a driver has to face weather conditions on a regular basis. One might think that Southern California drivers are wusses when it comes to driving in weather. Maybe so, but give them credit for facing bumper to bumper traffic on 10 lanes of freeway going and coming to wherever on a daily basis. Rain on the freeway is not a common condition, and there are millions of cars in close proximity to each other with brakes that don't grip as usual. Rain is good for body shops!

With the type of porous soil which exits in some locales, alot of rain can satuate it and cause it to liquify. In January in Orange Country, just south of L.A., a new $2.5 million home which had just been built on the edge of a hill started to slide endangering other homes near it. It was condemned and it took only a few hours for a piece of heavy machinery to knock it down and load the debris in a truck. So much for someone's dream home. One hopes the contractor has insurance.

In a small town on the coast just north of L.A., part of a hillside collapsed and buried a number of houses and killed 10 people.

Even in Oceanside, just north of Encinitas, there was a hill that started to slide and endanger homes that had been there for 30 years.

Rivers in Southern California are very strange. The Los Angeles River is a very long river that runs through the heart of most of the city from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Ocean. It is a large ditch completely surfaced with cement. In some places it is 100 yds or more wide. For most of the year, the ditch is empty. Maybe there is a trickle of water easily stepped over. The cement channel has been used for car chases in alot of movies and TV shows. When it rains a bunch in the area, all the runoff from the mountains and from much of the storm sewer system in the city makes the river a huge raging torrent, dangerous to all who venture near it. It is the ultimate flash flood. People drown in the desert! Weird!!

All the debris that people throw into or that washes into the storm drains in all the populated areas on the coast flows down the rivers and into the ocean. Beach areas turn brown with the color of the silt and sand and the pollution that flows along with it.

The San Louis Rey river in North San Diego County runs through the golf course where I am a member. It drains through the valley east of Oceanside and its mouth opens to the ocean in Camp Pendleton. Most of the year it is a gentle creek. After the last rain storm it flooded three or four of the holes. We are playing two of them as par threes instead of fours, and have sandbagged the green on the other. Bummer! It probably will be 2-3 months before the fairways on those holes dry out.

On the other hand, having adequate rain in southern California is a relief! It is wonderful to see lakes filled to their capacity! It's good for fishing and boating. The mountain forests become healthier and less prone to disease and fire. Wildlife flourishes! There is green as a primary landscape color rather than brown. Golf courses get lush. People seem less tense.

I just checked the web site for Anzo Borrego State Park(anzoborrego.statepark.org), which is the largest desert park in California, and the wildflower bloom is early this year because of all the rain. Even some of it splashes over the Laguna Mountains to the east of us into the desert to change the landscape on the desert valley floor into a kalidescope of color that is a view worth the two hour drive!

Rain brings life!

It is Thursday and the forecast is for more rain starting tomorrow. It is sprinkling outside!
Traffic is slowing.

Thoughts on Religiosity--Part 2

Most great religions developed during the time when science considered the Earth the center of the universe.

Religious doctrine still depends on the importance of our small bit of space and our human existance as the center and the primary depository of attention from God the Creator. To the true believers, expousing any thought against this doctrine was and still is considered to be blasphemy!

Balsphemy has obviously changed over the years. One might have been burned at the stake a few centuries ago for claiming that the Earth revolved around the Sun. The mainstream Christian religions moved past that position for the most part! But Creationism vs. Evolution is still in dispute with some who take the Bible literally. There were no apes in the Garden of Eden. Science vs. religious doctrine is still in play!

The more we find out about the universe, the more it appears that our little world is nothing but a speck of dust in the vastness of it. If there is a divine being who created it all, is there an answer to this question: Why should this speck of dust called Earth be so special that this Divinity would watch over us and provide for an afterlife for our continued existance in some form?

If we all sat back and suspended our beliefs for a time, would we be humbled by our position in the scope of the universe, and would we think that we vastly overestimate our importance in the scheme of it all?

Religion always has sought to explain the unexplainable in order to provide a safe haven for us to escape to when stressed. It has been there to provide some certainty where there was none. "Why?" can always be answered, even when there is no apparent answer. "It is God's will!" "It is the will of Allah!" "The gods are angry!" We can take action with prayer and sacrifice to make us feel "better". Those of us brought up in religion still look to God in time of peril. the "indoctrination" always remains somewhere in our psyche.

Religion is a two edged sword. The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", in some way is an ethical guide in most great religions. But it is often overshadowed by what might be termed "The Onward Christian Soldier" side of the blade. That side appeals to those who feel chosen by their God over all others, and feel it is their responsibility to save all who do not believe. Unbelievers are doomed to be damned to some form of punishment in the afterlife! Isn't it interesting that the Christians, Jews, Mormons, and Muslims, all who think of themselves as the only chosen ones, have the same lineage from the God of Abraham.

Bottom line, it all seems to be a continuation of the tribal warfare which has been part of human existance since the beginning of life on our little speck of dust. Different tribes fighting over ideas, land and wealth, perceived superiorities, and sex and females.

There are always going to be gaps in human knowledge that cause humans to seek spiritual answers where no others exist. The last human alive will still not know all the answers to all the questions.

Today, the human race seems to be still mired in the muck of egotistic selfishness, no better that our early ancesters who lived in caves. We just have more advanced weapons, and more complicated reasons to go nah-nah, nah, nah-nah as we stick a finger in the air, or drop bombs on each other.

We do things to each other which seem to put us and our planet on a road to self destruction.

I have this notion that the demise of the Earth will result from a collision with a giant asteroid or comet hurtling through space. Just like the dinasaurs, we will all be gone, and perhaps the next denisons of our small rock will be giant insects with small brains, who will battle each other just like we do. It probably won't happen soon in relation to our lifetimes, but I think that considering the scope of the known universe, it seems to be a certainty.

Here's a "Twilight Zone" thought! Perhaps the Universe is just a video game being played by a "teen age something" in a place beyond our comprehension. We will end when the game ends. Is that as good an explanation of our existance as any?

Thoughts on Religiosity--Part I

Through the ages religion has always been a force for both good and evil in the world. The truly religious are loud! They make demands that others who do not believe as they do conform or face persecution in some way. Often the persecution is violent and deadly.

Religion to the truly religious is black and white. There is good and there is evil. There is heaven and there is hell. The more religious one is, the more there is a certainty of black or white. There is not much logical about religion. If you believe, it is reality. If you don't, it is myth.

An atheist does not believe in a God. An agnostic says prove God exists and I will believe. If you could prove it to an atheist, he would also believe. If you could prove it, everyone would believe!

Is it a fair statement to say that no one is born believing in a God? Being born into a Hindu family usually means living life as a Hindu. Be born into a Muslim family and you become a Muslim. Convert a Muslim to a Christian who marries a Christian, and their children grow up Christian. Convert a Christian to a Jew who marries a Christian, and they must decide whether to raise their children in the Jewish or Christian faith. If born an atheist, and so on. With the child as an open slate, how can one know which religion is the right one to pick? If none or the wrong one is picked, will damnation be the end result? All of them think they are right!

In a conflict everyone thinks they are right! The winner declares himself to be in the right and declares the loser to be wrong! (But the loser, if alive, still thinks he is right!) Is it survival of the fittest! Very Darwinian!

Most in this world do not want to see grey. Grey is confusing! It puts one at risk, requiring thought and consideration of options. Most would rather have a default to the certainty of black or white. Most everyone likes to be lead by leaders who show certainty in their rightness. Nuance is not comfortable. A sense of certainty removes the uncomfortable feeling of risk.

If the great majority of humankind saw shades of grey in their views of the world, would they follow the golden rule. And if so, would it be a world of caring, compromise, and no violence against each other. Is that a fantasy impossible to accomplish?

Po-li-ti-cos---a poem

Po-li-ti-cos

All of them are patriots,
at least that's what they say.
They primp and they pontificate,
and try to get their way!

They call each other nasty names,
derogatory labels.
And all of them have secret friends,
who give cash under tables!

They spin and weave their web of words,
and none of them are clear.
To any one who cries "deceit!",
they brand him with a smear!

Who are these patriots, self proclaimed,
demanding such attention?
Our favorite own po-li-ti-cos,
just seeking re-election!

Mark Worden
1/28/05

In The Main....a poem of deceit

In The Main....


There was no WMD,
That anyone could see,
Across the desert wide,
No place that it could hide!

Were told we had to go,
Before Saddam could blow,
Us all away with a big BOOM,
and send us broken, to our tomb!

Now after thousands died,
We find that someone lied,
No WMD, the cause of pain,
Was lack of wisdom, in the main!

Golf Balls--A Poem

Golf Balls

Dimpled,
Shiny white,
In a box
Like eggs!

A dozen,
In a bag,
With clubs
To tee them off!

Struck violently,
Compressed
To fly
Great Distances!

A hole,
So small,
And marked
With a flag,

The target,
And final
Destination
For them all!


Mark Worden
January 7, 2005

Resolutions--An Essay

I used to make resolutions at the start of every new year. I always felt that I was someone who could acheive a great deal more, if only the effort would just be made. So I did what was expected each year and resolutions to improve were made. Then I spent the next few months rationalizing why I either was making no effort at all in actively pursuing any given one of them, or beating my head against a wall in frustration with the effort to accomplish something that was probably beyond my capability, physically and/or mentally.

Every year there was a goal to quit smoking, improve my diet and lose weight, stay with an exercise program, work harder and make more money, make more effort to be more outgoing and remember names of all the people I met, spend more time with my family, take the family on a nice vacation, and learn Spanish, among other things. Every year these were all great goals, and every year started with the thought that if these goals were all acheived, I would be a much better person living a much improved life. Not only that, but my acheivements would lead to more happiness for me, my familiy, and have a positive influence on my relationships with friends, co-workers, and others I contact. And each year I could build on my accomplishments from the year before. I not only would be wealthy, but a great all around guy, much in demand!

I always made a resolution to read at least two books a year on some subject of self improvement and to pick a few recommended actions from each to "implement" to improve my "style" or "relationships". I usually did the reading, and made a very excellent plan of action which was looked at alot for awhile, but not really acted upon, and thus faded away!

So I always felt guilty! Every year was filled with disappointment! Goals clearly were not accomplished! There was failure! And no satisfaction! I was not happy! It was not fun! I was not wealthy! I was not a great all around guy much in demand!

It required a new approach! I thought, "Perhaps I have become an old dog, and you know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks!" More rationalization? Not good! Even old dogs can improve.

So, rather than buying into the "old dog" rationalization and discarding the whole idea, I decided that it was good to make resolutions!

But I thought, "What about assessing what is good, instead of just what is not so good? After all, I have spent 62 years getting to today, and it seems to me that today is pretty OK! Isn't pretty OK a good place to be? Why do I always have to put myself in a position of guilt regarding failure to effectively act on resolutions?"

I needed to redefine how I thought about resolutions. Striving for some "ideal" state of existance did not seem to be realistic or mentally healthy!

I decided that resolutions should be personal, i. e., they should not relate to work/business or exist just because of a benefit to anyone else. For motivation, there had to be a meaningful and necessary benefit to me! (But it is OK if there are benefits for others as well as a result.)

I thought that stopping doing something could be a resolution, even if it is easy!

And also that continuing to do something that is good is an accomplishment and could be "continued" as a resolution for the next year.

I determined that it is OK to have long term resolutions that are somewhat vague and flexible but have no specific time element! (I'll do it when the time is right or when I get around to it!)

I thought that resolutions should be held to a minimum number, perhaps no more than 6-7, and that they can be changed during the year if it were the sensible thing to do!

And I thought that it would be OK not to have any resolutions at all. (A big relief!)

My 2005 resolutions(a work in process):

1. I will continue to not smoke or chew any tobacco product.
2. I will continue my unbroken lifetime record of saying no to any illegal drug.
3. I will continue to take my medicine and have regular medical checkups twice a year.
4. I will walk rather than riding a cart when I play golf, with few exceptions.
5. I will not gain any weight during the next year. It would be nice, but not necessary, to loose 10 lbs.
6. I will strive to keep a positive attitude each day. Worry causes inflamation, mentally and physically. A sunny disposition is healthy for one's heart, both physical and spiritual, and should be nurtured each day.

These resolutions may not reach very far into the realm of great new acheivements. But many are important maintenance resolutions. And, there is a certain satisfaction that resolutions have been made. (Remember, that it is OK not to make them).

I also now have to think some more about these goals and perhaps add to them as the months go by. It feels good to have some latitude. It feels good to know that accomplishing these resolutions is a positive, and something to feel good about. I think I will treat myself to something good (and probably fattening) to eat today in celebration!!

The Oregon Trail--Part XVI--At Home Again

Monday
October 25, 2004

Coffeetopia again for a double cappachino for Nancy and a large regular for me, and we were ready for the five or six hour drive back to San Diego and a return to Matt, the cat, real estate and bills to pay, and the routine of life on the Southern California coast. Its not quite like someone returning to Minnesota in the middle of winter, after laying on the beach in Hawaii for a couple of weeks. But the change from the relaxation of rural Oregon, to the congestion of SoCal, from 2 lane highways with little traffic, to 8-10 lane freeways with bumper to bumper traffic can be a bit of a downer. There is something to be said for both lifestyles, I guess, and the purpose of a vacation is to do something which takes you from what you are used to in your daily life, to something different.

The whole state of Oregon has a population of 3.2 million. San Diego county has a population of 3 million squeezed into a much smaller space. People in Bend think their city of 70000 is growing to fast and pushing towards 100000 people in the next couple of decades. Encinitas' population is also about 70000, but it is surrounded on all sides (except the ocean side) by other cities and towns covering all of San Diego county from the Mexican border to the south to Camp Pendleton on the north, to the mountains and the national forest on the east. North of Camp Pendleton, the 12-15 million people in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadino, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties fill all the space for a 100+ miles in all directions. California's total population is now about 34 million, Oregon x 10.

Southern California is a vibrant, fast paced place to live, with the best weather patterns in the world! But it also can wear you out. Traffic can wear you out! The high price of living can wear you out! To many people everywhere can wear you out! The "rat race" can wear you out!

On the other hand, anything that happens in our society happens here! There is no chance for boredom! This is not the "boonies"! There are lots of great golf courses, schools and universities, professional sports, theaters, and everything cultural! But that also can wear you out!

Or invigorate you!

Nancy surprised herself and fell in love with Bend. She decided that deep down she was a mountain person more than a beach person. She remembered that many of her favorite times were spent in the mountains of Southern California as a child. She fell in love with the Cascades, and her walk along the Deschutes River in Bend satified the need for "water" in her soul! She also loved the seasons in Bend, and the crispness of the fall weather, and the golden leaves on the trees.

It would be nice to have a foot in both worlds. Some can do that! But that can wear you out too! There will come a time in the next few years when we will decide which world has the most appeal. We will have to go back to the Cascades and to Bend during the summer months to see if we experience the same feelings we found in October with our journey on The Oregon Trail!

The Oregon Trail--Part XV--TV in Santa Cruz

Friday
October 22

After driving two lane highways through most of Oregon, we were looking forward to getting back on an interstate and zipping along with just a pit stop now and then for gas. We thought it would be about a six or seven hour drive to Santa Cruz. As usual we were up for the early breakfast at about 7:30, and were packed and ready to go about an hour later. Our hostess packed Nancy a muffin to go, and we were off. We drove a whole block to the best coffeehouse in town where Nancy got a double cappachino. And then we were really off!!

Nothern California is very pretty with lots of mountains and trees and rivers. We passed by Mt Shasta, but could only see the bottom half of the mountain due to cloud cover. Our poor luck with seeing high mountains continued! Shades of Mt. Hood! We drove through Redlands, Red Bluff, and a number of small towns just off the freeway. We made a gas stop before we reached the 505 turnoff, I think it was Orland or Williams, whichever is the olive capital of California! We walked through a store selling only olives! But didn't buy any! They had good restrooms! Nancy said she would drive for awhile. It was the first time on our trip, and I was leery! We hit the 505 turnoff and soon were on the I-80 headed west towards San Francisco. After spending almost two weeks in low traffic on two lane highways, getting back to the 8 lane freeways of California was a big adjustment. Nancy wanted to turn around and go back to Bend!! We had to make a stop at Vacaville for a double cappachino to steady Nancy's nerves, and I had to again take the wheel.

We fought our way through the Friday afternoon traffic around San Francisco and San Jose, and were finally on Rte 17 heading towards the coast and Santa Cruz. We pulled in late in the mid afternoon, and we were both relieved to be through the congestion of the San Francisco area and back in the laid back comfort of Santa Cruz.

Both Sara's roommates were home, and we ordered pizza in, along with some good cheap wine. I hit the sack early. Saturday was going to be a busy day. I had promised Sara a new TV!

Saturday
October 23

It was still dark when I got up and out to the coffeetopia for caffiene and the morning paper. Sara and I had a discussion regarding her new TV. They had a 12 inch TV connected to their cable and their DVD player,, but the remote would not work to change the channel. It seemed to me that the TV was so small only one person could watch it at a time. They really needed an upgrade. Sara thought that I shouldn't get anything bigger than a 20 " so it would fit on their stand and wouldn't stick up so high against the window. I thought they should have at least a 25. But I agreed to try to find something a bit smaller, maybe a 23"!

I headed down to Costco sometime after 9 am, getting lost a couple times on the way. Costco in Santa Cruz is a difficult place to find, tucked away in the back of an industrial park!

Even at that early hour the parking lot was humming and filled with giant loaded carts being pushed by mega consumers like myself. I flashed my membership card, passed the terrorist inspection, and was waved into the pile of goods. I headed for the TV area. I looked hard for something mid sized. The 20" was to small, and the next available size was 27". Being a guy, there was no way I was going to buy a 20", so the 27" was it! It was at a great price and onto a cart it went. I took it out to my car, had to take it out of the box to get it in, and off I went.

As I was driving, I thought the TV probably wouldn't fit on the existing stand, and that I had better find a new one for them! Hey, it was Saturday morning--and there were garage sales. so I drove around town looking for garge sale signs. The second sale I stopped at had the perfect stand. She asked $10, I said $5, and we had a deal!! Now I felt really good!!

I got back to Sara's apartment just as she and Nancy were about to leave. When Sara saw the TV she said,"That's so BIG"! I hauled it in and set it up, and in comparison to the 12" TV, it certainly was BIG! But it looked great! One of her roommates was a real TV person. (She owned the 12", and had another 12" in her bedroom). When she came home and saw the new TV, she flushed and almost fainted!! It was World Series weekend and we were all set!

Sunday Night the girls invited over some guys, Nancy made meatloaf and mashed potatos, and we all sat around and had comfort food and watched the game. The consensus was that the TV was just the right size!

We ended the trip as we had started it, at Sara's in Santa Cruz.

The Oregon Trail--Part XIV--Ashland-on-Avon

Thursday
October 21

On the morning we left Bend, it was one of the 300 sunny Chamber of Commerce days! Rte 97 heads straight south. A sign said Klamath Falls 100+miles. I had one big tourist stop left on my agenda, Crater Lake! So an hour or so south of Bend we would be cutting to the west on Rte 138 and heading up into the Cascades towards the lake. Everyone has seen the pristine pictures of the lake. It is the deepest lake in the USA, and a much visited National Park. Our guide book noted that the roads to the lake were often closed due to snow in the winter months. But it was only October!

As we turned onto 138 and headed up in elevation the Sun disappeared, and it began to snow. The Lake is at an elevation of about 6200 ft. We were not accustomed to driving in the snow, and as the road became covered we had visions of sliding down the other side of the hill, and off some steep precipice into a deep gorge! Fortunately, the snow was wet and the tires held the road. We came to the north gate entrance to the Lake and saw a big sign indicating that it was closed. Bummer! The main gate was on the south end of the lake, so we headed in that direction. The south road had been recently plowed and was open, although there was over a foot of snow on the ground with more coming down. We wound up the entrance road to the park and finally reached the Visiter's Center. There was a bus and a few cars in the parking lot, but the Lake was nowhere to be seen. Here we were at a great natural wonder with terrific views, and the visability was about 100ft. The rim road around the lake was completely closed. There were a few people having snacks at the restaurant, and shopping at the gift shop. We bought Matt a couple of post cards. The lady at the desk told us they had been closed the last two days because of snow and about the only thing we could see was the old hotel just down the road about 800 ft on the other side of the parking lot. So we walked over and took a few pictures. It was closed and all boarded up, and I half expected to see a ghost or maybe Jack Nicholson looking out between the cracks in the boards just like he had done in the movie, "The Shining".

I had looked forward to Crater Lake! It was a white-out! Guess I will have to go back!

We headed south again on Rte 62 towards Medford, and the Rouge River Valley. The road followed the path of the river, long known for great trout and steelhead fishing. Since we were no longer in national forest lands, there were small villages here and there along the river, as well as lodging, RV campgrounds, and other businesses. Private homes lined the river in many places. I always had visions of the Rouge as a wilderness river. Maybe somewhere else in its meadering it was.

We were soon entering Medford, and traffic and clutter started to increase. Medford is the largest city in Southern Oregon with a population of about 65000. It is the center of commercial activity in the area, so has good facilities including a small airport, and good medical facilities.
At Medford we connected up with I-5, and 12 miles south of Medford we pulled off at the exit for Ashland.

Ashland is known internationally for its Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which runs from February through the end of October. It also had a quilt shop and a very good knitting store!

The Shakespeare Festival was started with a couple of plays held in an old theater as part of a Forth of July celebration back in the 1930s. Today there are two beautiful indoor theaters and
one outdoor theater which put on professional productions for over 300000 visitors annually. Productions are often sold out months ahead of time.

The small town of about 20000 people is set up for tourists with alot of cafes and shops, as well as many Inns and B&Bs. In the season we would not have been able to just drop in! We drove around the downtown area and found a nice room in a refurbished Victorian home just a block or so from the main street. In getting acquainted with our hostess, we found that she and her daughter were transplants from Solana Beach, almost next door neighbors to our home in Encinitas.

Nancy made a visit to the quilt store and the knitting shop while I walked around looking at menus and trying to decide where to go for dinner. I also checked out any coffee houses I happened to see. We went back to the B&B for afternoon "tea" and consulted with our hostess as to restaurants. One Italian place I though looked good was her recommendation as well, so about six we headed over to eat. I was hot for spaghetti, and that's what I ordered. How could anyone mess that up in an Italian restaurant? What I got was a pile of meat sauce with bits of spaghetti in it. I should have asked for a "correction", but instead picked out the pasta as best I could and ended up with a pile of meat sauce on my plate. I did make a suggestion regarding the dish to the waitress. Of course I was nice. It wasn't her fault, and didn't affect her tip!!

The wine was good!

We went for a walk afterwords and as we walked near the theaters, I suggested to Nancy that we go see what was playing. It was about 7:45, and the plays were starting at 8. Henry the VI part II, was playing in one theater, and The Royal Tannenbaums, a 1930s comedy patterened after the Barrymore family, was playing in the other. I asked if there were any tickets left for the comedy--and there were--and they were discounted to $25 each. Some guy standing there said he had two he would sell me for $20 each, and the ticket seller said "buy them, that's a deal!" (Regular price was $36.50)

We had not intended to go to a play--but that is what Ashland is all about! So we had an enjoyable night at the theater seeing a very well done drawing room comedy by Kaufmann and Ferber. We noticed that our B&B hostess was sitting just a few rows down from us. Later she said that the only time she goes is late in the season when she can get discounted tickets! Our night at the theater alomost made up for missing the view of Crater Lake that morning.

We had a big, firm, KING SIZE bed at the B&B which was very comfortable.

In the morning we were back on I-5 for a run all the way down past San Francisco to see Sara in Santa Cruz again.

The Oregon Trail--Part XIII--A Day in Bend

Wednesday
October 20

I had originally planned my day in Bend as a day of golf on one of the many golf courses in the area. However, it had been unseasonally cool for the last few days, and each day it had spitted some rain between occassional spots of sun. On this morning I awoke to a very overcast sky and a steady drip of percipitation. Plus, it was about 40 degrees and probably would not go up past 50 during the day. Being used to the sunshine and weather of San Diego, I had long ago lost the "drive" to golf no matter what the weather, and decided on playing realtor for the day.

At breakfast I had a chat with the other guy from San Diego who had been looking at retirement property. He was also a golfer, and had checked out the Bend Country Club and thought the facilities there were super! He had looked at property all over town and had some good suggestions. He even gave me the name of the real estate office he had used.

Since it was raining, I thought that it would be a great day to drive around Bend and look at different areas and check out pricing. There were three private country clubs I could stop at for information.

I didn't know exactly what Nancy was going to do, but I thought that she wanted to spend her day walking and shopping downtown Old Bend, and just relaxing at the Lara.

So, after Bobye had served breakfast, I was off on my adventure! I made a stop at an auto parts store and bought a couple of quarts of oil for the car. The old Mercedes was doing great on the trip, but needed a quart about every 1000 miles, so it was good to have some in the trunk.
I drove to the east side of town, and made a right on a street that appeared to be the old route of Rte 67. There were alot of old motels and other businesses which would have catered to traffic passing through in earlier days when Bend was a much smaller berg! Bobye had told me that when she moved to Bend 17 years ago, the population was about 17000. Now it was about 70000. So there had been a big change, and the city was still growing fairly rapidly due to people like us who were retiring and moving from high cost areas of California, to the lower costs of Oregon. After L.A, and San Diego, Bend was still pretty small to me!

What made Bend a prime area was the climate. Along the coast of Oregon, rainfall averaged about 60 inches annually. Because Bend was east of the Cascades, most of the moisture got dumped before it could make it over the mountain range, and Bend's annual percipitation was only 12 inches. Bobye said alot of her clients were from Oregon on weekends during the winter, and just came to see the sun for a day or two! The Bend Chamber of Commerce boasted that Bend had 300 days of sunshine annually. I had talked to people from southern California who had moved to places like Portland, and they said it was hard to adjust to grey skies and rain each day, sometimes for months at a time. Because Bend was in the foothils of the Cascades and at an elevation of about 3500 ft, it did occasionally snow during the winter months, but I was told that it didn't stay on the ground for long! There were four distinct seasons, but nothing severe! So Bend had one of the other requirements for life after San Diego--Sunshine!!

I soon found the real estate office and was sitting in their reception room talking with a realtor about her recommendations for my tour of various areas of Bend. She gave me a good map and circled some of the locations that fit my price range. She told me that the best place to buy was on the "west" side, meaning west of new Rte 97 which cut through the middle of town. West was towards the mountains. Old Bend was west side, as was the campus of the small local branch of the University of Oregon. Many of the newer more expensive custom homes, and the two new private country clubs were all on the west side.

Since I was on the east side, that's where I started. The Bend Country Club was on the southeast side of town, so I headed in that direction and drove through some of the neighborhoods in that area before finally stopping at the club for a look see!

It was the oldest club in town. I was told that the original 9 holes were built about 1925. The clubhouse was newer and had great facilities, including men's and women's locker rooms, very nice dining and meeting facilities, two indoor tennis courts, and indoor pool, his and hers excercise rooms, and a driving range. The fairways of the course were defined by pine trees. The course was just what I liked, an old traditionally styled course with the back tees at about 7000 yds. And the price was right!! Another of the necessities of life fulfilled in Bend-- Golf!

While I was standing outside in the cold drizzle looking out at the first tee, a lone golfer hit his drive and took off down the fairway after his ball. Some one was on the driving range hitting balls! Golfers were heartier in Bend than in San Diego. They said they kept the course staff availiable year round, even in the winter. If it was frosted but with no snow, they would set up temporary greens, and members could play! They said most of the courses in the area shut down for 3-4 months in the winter. I guess if we lived there I would probably be out there!!

I headed over to the west side and drove through some of the newer developments, and then headed back towards Old Bend and the Lara. I thought I would stop and see what Nancy was doing. She was just returning from a walk along the river, and said that there was a knit store she wanted to visit, and she wanted to show me some old craftsman cottages near the Lara. We drove by some of the areas I had visited earlier and revisited the Country Club. We looked at the two newer golf clubs on the west side. They were nice, more expensive, and a bit snooty. When we visited her knit store, there was a flyfishing store right next door. While I waited for her, I watched a guy practice flyfishing in the parking lot, and talked with a young guy whose parents lived in San Diego. He said he had moved up to Bend for the flyfishing! Bend! Sun, Golf, Flyfishing!

We decided that a small craftsman on the west side in Old Bend was the desired property, the Bend Country Club was the desired golf facility, and that Nancy was ready to move!! She had always thought that her soul required the beach and the ocean, but upon reflection, felt that her heart was really in the mountains. The Dechutes River appeared to be enough water to calm that part of her Psyche!

It was early in the afternoon, and the Sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds, so I guess they could call it another sunny day in Bend.

That night we had dinner at a newer restaurant just a short walk from the Lara in Old Bend. It was modern, a bit expensive, and not particularly memorable.

In the morning we would be heading south, destination Ashland!

The Oregon Trail--Part XII--The Cascades

Tuesday
October 19

As usual we signed up for the early breakfast setting, which at the Lara was 8 am. I was told that I could come down earlier for coffee, so was there at about 7:30. That was sleeping in for me! One of the guys we had dinner with the night before had beat me to the paper, but he shared, and we had coffee together while our breackfast host, Linda, busied herself in the kitchen. Nancy came down about eight and breakfast started to appear shortly thereafter.

Our first goal of the day would be to head for Sisters, a small village west of Bend and up the foothills about 1000 ft higher in elevation. Sisters was famous for an annual quilt show in the summer which any experienced quilter knew was one of the top shows in the country. The quilt shop in Sisters was the driving force, and had put the little berg on the tourist map, at least as far as quilters were concerned!

We got there just before 10 am and stopped at a small bakery/coffee shop which had an espresso machine. Nancy, of course, had a double cappachino!! The village was quaint and touristy, with "country" style facades on most of the shops along the street, designed to snag people traveling the main highway as they passed by. The main street was the highway from Bend west over the mountains terminating at Salem, about 100 miles away, or with a turn to the south at a scenic mountain junction with another highway up the road, to Eugene to the southwest.

The quilt store was open, and as we entered we both were "dazzled" at the size of the store and the many quilts hanging high on the walls above display racks of fabrics, yarns and quilting paraphinalia! I took some pictures, and thought that Nancy would be spending a couple hours in this place. She thought so too! So I decided to take a walking tour around the village.

Most of the shops on the main street were closed. Maybe it was because it was the off season for tourists, or perhaps they had restricted hours this time of the year. There was an antique shop that was open. I walked through and decided that most of the "antiques" were really reproductions and oriented to the tourist trade. I walked a block off the main drag and found a fly fishing shop and went in to browse. As I entered I was greeted by two golden setters, one old, and one young, probably father and son. The smiled with wagging tails, did their required sniffs of my shoes and pants while I scratched their ears, and then plopped down in their customary "spots" to wait for their next customer. There were three guys in a back room sitting around talking about steelhead fishing. I was standing in front of a bullitin board filled with pictures of big steelhead held aloft by smiling fisherman, no doubt caught by flies bought at this shop!! The condition of the Deshutes River's water flow was also posted showing the pattern on a daily basis for the last few weeks. None of the guys paid much attention to me, probably figuring that if I needed something I would holler! Either that, or they had properly identified me as a bait fisherman and were going to do their best to shun me! I wandered through the shop impressed by their stock of flyfishing equipment, and wondering why a flyfishing rod should cost from $350 and up to rather impressive amounts. Back at home I had a couple of old glass fly rods in the garage, which would probably work OK, and might have cost 10-20 bucks at most when they were new. But that was 40 years ago, and they were not made of graphite composites! I expect that if I become a serious fly fisherman in the future, there would be a graphite rod and high priced reel on my must have list, even though it probably would not catch anything more than the old ones in my garage. Flyfishing! One of the dream reasons for moving to the Bend area. As I left the shop, the dogs had managed to escape and were flopped on the ground just outside. They beat their tails on the ground waving bye-bye, bye-bye as I passed.

Next door to the fly shop there was a thrift shop run by a local charitible organization. Who knew what treasures I would find there! There were 3-4 other smart shoppers at this early hour of the day, searching through clothes racks and setting aside bargains in a small pile to be considered for purchase. I certainly didn't need anything, but it was a bit chilly outside, and at higher altitudes there had been snow, so I started to look through the rack with coats. I saw a nice blue golf jacket with lettering on it that said "River's Edge", and recognized it as a jacket from one of the golf resorts in Bend. It was nice! It fit perfectly! It was $8! What a bargain! ($75-85 new?) It was my only purchase on the trip! I wear it all the time!!

My next stop was a real estate office across the street from the quilt shop. I chatted with a Realtor about the Sisters area, and was a bit surprised at the cost of real estate in Sisters. I thought it seemed a bit more expensive than Bend. She gave me a list of what was available and I thanked her for her time. (I didn't tell her I was also a realtor from San Diego, lest she might think me snooty!)

I had done pretty good with the two hours, so headed to the quilt shop to pick up Nancy. She was almost ready. One of the quilt shop gals pointed me to a sofa and some magazines! I could tell they knew how to handle waiting husbands! Nancy had a successful 2 hours and emerged with a big bagfull of fabrics to add to her collection.

We had decided to take a scenic loop tour through the area south of Sisters that would take 3-4 hours according to our guide book. The guide said that some of roads would be closed due to snow during the winter months. While there had been recent snow, it had only amounted to a few inches and we presumed the roads would all be open, so we took off on the route. The road south mostly followed the McKenzie River, which originated at a small crystal clear lake, just off the road a few miles south of Sisters. We stopped at the resort on the lake. It was closed at this time of the year, but was very picturesque and was surely solidly booked during the summer months. (I seem to remember that it was called Clear Lake-very appropriate!)

The McKenzie at its source was not a big river, but was fast flowing as it tumbled down the rocks through its gorge. There were three waterfalls with parking and access from the road that were 60 or so ft high along the route. We stopped at each and hiked the riverbank to take advantage of the views and the photo-ops. We passed campgrounds which while open, were mostly empty. Sometimes we saw a few RVs out in the woods--cold weather campers! We reached a junction and turned onto a small "scenic" drive which led us upward in elevation. We passed a gate with a sign which said "closed due to snow". It was still open, so on we went!! Our guidebook indicated there were two waterfalls of interest coming up which required a loop hike of about 1 1/2 miles. When we got to the falls parking area there was another couple looking at the map information board. We took off on the trail. They must of decided the hike was not for them since we didn't see them again. Lazy, I guess. I wondered how much they must miss on their trips? We hiked over 2 big lava flows. The forest was very quiet! We didn't even see or hear any birds on our hike! I told Nancy that there were no birds because of the bears!! Then I made growls as I followed a ways behind her! Juvenile behavior! The falls were not the result of rivers, but from springs high on the bluffs, and fell over 100 ft to the valley floor. By this time on our trip we had seen alot of water cascading down from great heights! We were tough to impress! But it was a nice hike!

Back in the car, we continued to climb in elevation, and soon there was about 4-6" inches of snow along the road. We could see where the plows had furrowed the snow off to the side a day before. As we wound up to a higher elevation we popped out of the forest into a lunarlike sea of lava flows covering miles in all directions. It was a black and white landscape with the basalt rock partially covered with snow, leading up to the surrounding fully snow blanketed peaks of the Cascade range. McKenzie pass was at the peak of the road and was over 7000ft high! The road was cut through lava fields and in the center of it all at the highest elevation was a tourist stop with an observation tower called the "Observatory". It was built of lava rock by the CCC back in the 1930s. Stairs of lava rock led up to the top where a large compass disk of metal about 3-4 ft wide was embedded in rock in the center. It was engraved to show the names of the various peaks in each compass direction from Mt Bachelor to the south, to Mt Hood to the north, and all the Seven Sisters peaks between. Under the observation deck was a large room with small window slots, each marked with the name of the peak that one could view by looking through the slot. It was like a fort turret with gun slots aimed at the various mountains. The views certainly emphasized the volcanic nature of the cascade range!!

Leaving the observatory, we wound down the mountain, and soon were out of the snow and into the forested area leading back towards Sisters. It was late in the afternoon, and time to head back to the 2$chuck (Charles Shaw wine, ($1.99) courtesy of Trader Joe's) and afternoon snacks at the Lara B&B to tell everyone about our very successful tourist day. When we got back, I hooked up the laptop, checked my email, and downloaded my pictures from the digital camera. Bobye took a look at some of them and said that it looked like we had a great day. (Probably really just another day in Bend to a long time resident!)

That night we decided to have a casual dinner and headed for the Dechutes Brewery, which was a hot spot downtown with the younger crowd, specializing in beer and ale of course, along with pub type food offerings. It was a busy, noisy place, with sports TV, and young waiters and waitresses toting trays of brews. Both of us ordered a sandwich basket which included fries, along with one of the Dechute Brewery's best ales, and enjoyed the scene!!

It was another crisp night for the walk back to the Lara. It was still early enough to sit and watch a bit of TV in the downstairs sunroom before heading up the stairs about 10 to cozy under the comforter for the night.

Our plan for the next day was for each of us to go our own way for most of the day, and have a "personal" day, just for ourselves!